John Roger Stevens, known as John Legend, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his albums such as Once Again and Darkness and Light. Born in Springfield, Ohio, USA, he showed a keen interest in music from an early age. He began performing for his church choir at the age of four. From the age of seven he began to play the piano.
While in college, he served as the post president and musical director of a music group called the Counterparts. Having released numerous studio albums, Legend has also collaborated with the likes of Kanye West, Britney Spears and Lauryn Hill. In 2015, he received an Oscar for the song "Glory", which he wrote for the historical film Selma.
He has also received several other significant awards, including ten Grammy Awards as well as a Golden Globe Award. He is also an actor and starred in La La Land, which was a hit, winning six Oscars. He is known for his philanthropic work.
John's success story
John Legend was born December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio. He became an in-demand session musician and songwriter, working with artists such as Alicia Keys, Twista, Janet Jackson and Kanye West.
Legend's debut album, 2004's Get Lifted, won three Grammy Awards. After two more solo albums, he released his collaboration with Roots, Wake Up!, in 2010. Legend also appeared on a television duet competition as a coach ahead of the release of his 2013 follow-up album Love in the Future.
The artist received Oscars, Golden Globes and Grammys for the song "Glory" from the 2014 film Selma, and then received an Emmy for his performance in the production of "Live Concert of Jesus Christ Superstars" in 2018.
Starting from the very beginning, being a child prodigy, Legend's grandmother taught him to play the piano, and he grew up singing in the church choir. He then entered the University of Pennsylvania, where he led a group of chapels. After graduation, he switched his skills and worked for the Boston Consulting Group but continued to perform in New York City nightclubs.
Legend has become an in-demand session musician and songwriter, working with artists such as Alicia Keys, Twista and Janet Jackson. He was soon introduced to up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West, and both musicians participated in each other's demos.
Career Break: "Get Lifted"
Legend's debut album, 2004's Get Lifted, went platinum thanks in part to the hit "Ordinary People", a song he originally wrote for the Black Eyed Peas. He returned home with three Grammy Awards for Get Lifted: Best R&B Album, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Legend's second album was Again Again which was released in 2006.
Legend's musical talent made him a major star. In 2006, he played at Super Bowl XL in Detroit, the NBA All-Star Game, and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.
He soon released several new albums including Evolver (2008). Evolver featured "Green Light", a collaboration with André 3000. The song turned out to be a modest hit and the album itself reached the top of the R&B/hip-hop charts.
The same year, Legend appeared in front of the cameras with a supporting role in the comedy Soul People, starring Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson.
"Wake Up!" and duets
In 2010, the singer released Wake Up!, which he recorded with Roots. The album received rave reviews from music critics and took on the tunes made famous by the likes of Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone. "Hard Times" by Curtis Mayfield was one of the album's lead singles; another hit, "Shine", earned him a Grammy Award. He and Roots also won a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2011.
Legend tried his hand at a reality show with a duet vocal competition in the summer of 2012. He worked alongside Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. Musical stars coached and performed with the contestants. Later that year, he released a new track for Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.
Recognition for "All of Me" and "Glory"
In 2013, they released their next solo album, Love in the Future, which featured the No. 1 ballad "All of Me", as well as tracks such as "Made to Love" and "You & I (Nobody in the World )”. In 2015, the songwriter, along with rapper Common, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Glory" from the film Selma.
Melody also won a Grammy and an Academy Award, where both artists used their Oscar acceptance speeches to highlight contemporary issues surrounding the civil rights movement.
On October 7, 2016, the singer released a new single "Love Me Now". And in December, he also released his fifth solo studio album, Darkness and Light, which featured Miguel and Chance the Rapper.
In early 2018, Legend prepared to star in NBC's Live Concert of Jesus Christ Superstars as a religious leader in the last days.
Broadcast from Brooklyn's Marcy Avenue Armory on Easter Sunday also included an adaptation by rock musician Alice Cooper as King Herod and executive artist Sarah Bareill as Mary Magdalene.
EGOT and The Voice
On September 9, 2018, Legend made history as the youngest person in history and the first African American to join the exclusive EGOT Club. (EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards) “Until tonight, only 12 people have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards in competitive categories,” Legend writes on Instagram.
“Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice and I joined this band when we won an Emmy for our production of their Legendary Live Concert of Jesus Christ Superstars show. So happy to be part of this team. I'm honored that they trusted me to play Jesus Christ."
A few days later, it was announced that the singer would be joining Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson as a coach for the 16th season of The Voice singing competition.
Major works of John Legend
Wake Up, John Legend's studio album for which he collaborated with the hip-hop group The Roots, is one of his most significant and successful works.
Debuting at number eight on the US Billboard 200, the album sold 63 copies in its first week and won the 000 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics.
"Love in the Future", released in 2013, is also among the important works of John Legend. The album, which included singles such as "Open Your Eyes", "All Of Me" and "Dreams", debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200.
It became a hit in several countries and topped the charts in the UK, the Netherlands, South Africa and New Zealand. It also received mostly positive reviews.
The song "Glory", released in 2014, can be considered John's most significant and critically acclaimed work. He performed it in collaboration with rapper Lonnie Rashid Lynn. She served as the theme song for the 2014 historical drama film Selma.
The song debuted at number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It has also become popular in countries such as Spain, Belgium and Australia. The award-winning song also won an Oscar at the 87th ceremony.
Darkness & Light is the fifth studio album by John Legend. With singles such as "Love Me Now" and "I Know Better", the album debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200. It sold 26 copies in the first week of its release.
Personal life and family of John Legend
In addition to music, Legend is involved in numerous social and charitable causes. He is a supporter of the Harlem Village Academy, a New York-based organization that operates several charter schools. Legend is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of HVA.
He explained to Black Enterprise magazine why education is so important to him: “I come from a city where 40-50% of our children drop out of school. I did well in high school and then went to the Ivy League in high school, but I was an exception. We need to do more to ensure that every child receives a quality education.”
Continuing his commitment to education reform, Legend lent his song "Shine" to the 2010 documentary Waiting for Superman. The film takes a critical look at the nation's public school system.
Legend got engaged to model Chrissy Teigen while the couple were on holiday in the Maldives in late 2011. They tied the knot in September 2013 in Italy. On April 14, 2016, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Luna Simone. On May 16, 2018, they announced that they were expecting their second son, Miles Theodore Stevens.
